It is usually necessary in ball and socket joints to guarantee the relative motion of the joint parts in relation to one another without limitations of the function at least over a service life preset for the type of ball and socket joint in question. There must be sufficient sealing against external effects, especially against the penetration of foreign bodies and moisture. Support rings, which are arranged on the ball pivot of the ball and socket joint and on which the pivot-side sealing labyrinth of a sealing bellows can be sealingly fixed, are used for this purpose.
A ball and socket joint for motor vehicles, which has a gasket made of an elastically deformable material between the housing of the ball and socket joint and a ball pivot carrying the joint ball, is known in this connection from DE-OS 37 05 847. A support ring, which is arranged adheringly on the ball pivot and meshes with the bearing surface of the gasket in a positive-locking manner, is inserted between the bearing surface of the gasket and the ball pivot.
Sealing is brought about in this solution in the area of the support ring by the support ring being provided with a coating consisting of an elastic material.
Furthermore, a ball and socket joint, which comprises essentially a ball pivot and a ball socket for holding the head of the ball pivot with a bearing inserted in between, is known from DE 103 00 678 A1. Furthermore, the ball and socket joint has a retaining ring, which comprises a cylindrical part, which is arranged on an outer circumferential surface of the shaft of the ball pivot, and a flange, which projects from one end of the cylindrical part of the retaining ring and comes into close contact with a fastening bead of a sleeve.
In connection with this teaching, the area in which the retaining ring is arranged on the shaft of the ball pivot is filled with a sealant, which penetrates as a liquid into recesses in this area.